YPSILANTI (WWJ) - Sean
D. Tucker, the world’s top civilian aerobatic pilot, will perform at
the 2013 Thunder Over Michigan Air Show, August 10 and 11 at Willow Run
Airport in Ypsilanti.

Tucker is a member of the National
Aviation Hall of Fame and is internationally known for his awe-inspiring
aerobatic flying routine. He has received the highest awards in the
industry, including induction into the International Council of Air
Shows Hall of Fame, the Living Legend Aviation Award, and many other
awards and recognitions.

Throughout more than 40 years of
Tucker’s air show experience, he has won numerous competitions and has
flown more than 1,100 performances, in front of an excess of 100 million
fans, and over 450 air shows.

Tucker’s airplane, the Oracle
Challenger III bi-plane, has continued to improve each year. Tucker
started with a factory built Pitts Special over 30 years ago and
modified it each year.

After reaching the limits of the Pitts,
Tucker’s team designed a one of a kind airplane that could do anything
that he asked of it. This resulted in the most high-performance
aerobatic aircraft in the world in its time, the Challenger II biplane.

Tucker’s
continuous demand to push the aircraft further resulted in the 2010
unveiling of the Oracle Challenger III, which is the most
high-performance aerobatic aircraft in the world today. This
fire-breathing monster packs more than 400 horsepower, weighs just over
1200 pounds and responds to the slightest pressure on the control stick
even at 300 mph.

To endure the extreme physical demands of each
routine, Tucker maintains a rigorous physical training schedule by
working out more than 340 days per year by jogging and weight-lifting on
alternating days.

Tickets are now on sale for a discounted price
if purchased online through Sunday, August 11. General Admission
tickets for guests 16 and older are $30; kids 15 and under are admitted
at no charge. For more information, visit www.yankeeairmuseum.org.

Thunder
Over Michigan is produced by the Yankee Air Museum. Proceeds from the
event help support the Yankee Air Museum and many other charitable
organizations. Source: http://detroit.cbslocal.com

EVERETT — Paine Field Airport is
sponsoring, “Airplanes! Bringing the Exciting World of Aviation to the
Classroom,” a graduate-level professional development course that will
be held Aug. 5-8 at Paine Field. The class will reveal not only
the science behind flight, but will also show teachers the fulfilling
career opportunities that await their students in the world of aviation.
In addition to receiving a formal flight lesson, teachers will ride in
various small aircraft, visit many of the aviation-related industries at
Paine Field, and hear from aviation professionals about career
opportunities that include airframe and power plant technicians, FAA air
traffic control personnel, airport administration and wildlife
management.

Field trips for the teachers will take them to the
Everett Boeing assembly plant for a VIP tour, Aviation Technical
Services, the Paine Field Air Traffic Control Tower, the Future of
Flight Aviation Center, the Flying Heritage Collection and the Historic
Flight Foundation.

The four-day class costs $365 and includes
three university credits. The class, now in its 12th year, was developed
by Snohomish teacher Gary Evans.

For more information, call Evans at 360-629-2005 or call the Paine Field Airport Office at 425-388-5125 or go to www.painefield.com

PEORIA - A decision on federal funding could determine to time frame of much needed repairs to Peoria's airport.

The Peoria International Airport is planning more than $5 million in renovations. Those include repairs and new pavement near the terminal and Byerly Aviation buildings. However, the completion date of the project is "up in the air" until the airport knows how much money it will get from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Gene Olson, the airport manager, says federal money usually pays for projects like this, but the Federal Aviation Administration is handing out less money after recent budget cuts. The airport still plans to start the project this fall.

The story of the $400,000
easement road built through Sikorsky Memorial Airport to accommodate
shoreline property owners including a millionaire, politically connected
developer continues to develop curves.

In upholding two appeals
that were brought against the Stratford Board of Zoning Appeals for
approving the road, Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe has raised even
more questions about the propriety of the whole mess.

To recap,
the city of Bridgeport paid $400,000 to property owner Manuel Moutinho
to build a gravel access road through the airport to his lavish
shoreline home. How this actually ensued after Moutinho had said he was
going to do the work himself -- and for $200,000 -- is the subject,
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch maintains, of an investigation.

While
Radcliffe's ruling that the road was built improperly will certainly be
appealed as this story progresses, one of the more interesting
observations in his 17-page ruling is the citation of a land record
agreement filed in Stratford that says the private property owners are
"to maintain said easement at their sole cost and expense."

From
the city of Bridgeport's perspective, the new road had to be put in
quickly to let a $40 million safety improvement project at the airport
move ahead in timely fashion. The old access road to the private
property is in the path of that project.

But if time really is of the essence here, the way this thing has been bungled is likely to slow everything down to a crawl.

TYLER, TX (KLTV) -
The Thunder Over Cedar Creek Air Show is this weekend, and the planes
coming in need a place to park, so once again they will be staging at
Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.

All day Saturday you can
go see the planes before they take off for Cedar Creek Lake in the
evening. We take a look at a couple of pieces of flying history.

If
you want to see an air show on July 6, you'll have to go to Cedar Creek
Lake, but if you want to get a really close look at some very
interesting aircraft you can cruise out to Tyler Pound Regional Airport
and see them in, well, inaction.

Pat Elliot, pilot of the B-17 flying fortress says the plane is:

"One of the reasons we speak English with an American Accent," observed Pat.

This
B-17 took off on April 14, 1955 to head for Okinawa and had been fitted
with radar to look for kamikaze. While it was still over the U.S. the
pilot was told the war was over. The plane never saw combat.

"The
Navy got hold of it and put a boat under it, and it was coastal rescue
and patrol. Then after they used it Litton Corporation bought it and cut
a big hole in the left side: a big door and they used it for freight
hauling and seismic exploration," Pat explained.

In 1967, it became part of the Commemorative Air Force.

If
that's not enough bomber for your buck you can also check out a B-25.
The "Devil Dog" was modeled after a bomber that flew out of Saipan in
1944. It flew missions over Iwo Jima, but never returned from its 23rd
mission.

The B-17 has another pilot: Ole Nygren. Yes, Ole is from the land of fjords.

"We
are doing what we call "Living History Flights" for a charge. We are
doing that today and tomorrow and Sunday Morning. It's a local flight in
the B-17. We can carry eight passengers, and we'll do a 30 minute
flight," Ole said.

The effect of the federal budget sequestration can be seen this week at a popular air show in Battle Creek.

Or more accurately, won’t be seen.

Since
the late 1980’s, the Field of Flight Airshow and Balloon festival in
Battle Creek has featured high performance military aircraft. Not this
year.

The federal budget sequestration has grounded a lot of the aircraft the U-S military routinely sends to airshows.

“You’re
not going to have the F-18s, the F-16s, the Thunderbirds, the Blue
Angels…none of the above flying in any shows, that’s all the way across
the country,” says Barb Haluszka, the festival’s executive director.

“Who
doesn’t want to see the Red, White and Blue jets or the Blue and Gold
jets fly? That’s America,” says Haluszka, “I think it’s sad and a shame
that we’ll not be able to see those jets this year be able to fly.”

Organizers
say they have added events to this year's air show so they are
optimistic the lack of military aircraft will not hurt attendance this
weekend.

80 to 100 thousand people are expected to attend the airshow and balloon festival this weekend.

MEDFORD—The Flying W Airport is offering a hands-on aerospace camp for children ages seven to 16.

The program will include hands-on activities, designed by New Jersey certified school teachers, pilots and other aerospace specialists, and will cover everything from designing airplanes, building rockets, gravity, physics of flight, history of aviation, a Flyit Simulator and more.

The camp will be offered for three sessions. The weeks of July 22-26 and July 29-Aug. 2 will be for ages seven to 11. The week of Aug. 5-9 is for ages 13-16.

All sessions will run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost per child is $300, which includes healthy snacks/lunch, beverages, Flyit Simulator, all hands-on curriculum, supplies, speakers and fieldtrips. Extended care is available for an additional $15 per day (swimming included). Deadline for registration is July 1. Enrollment is limited to 20 students per session.

During the aerospace camp, the EAA will be providing free introductory flights as part of their Young Eagles program. This is a separate program available to any student age seven to 17. All flights are subject to availability of aircraft, volunteer pilots and suitable weather.For more information or an application, visit www.aerospace4kids.com.

An accident during the
production of Tehachapi’s July 4 fireworks show resulted in minor
injuries at Tehachapi Municipal Airport, staging area for the 20-minute
aerial show sponsored by the City of Tehachapi.

One of the
fireworks failed to launch and instead traveled horizontal to the
ground, crossing the airport runway and ignited in a crowd of nearby
spectators.

Arriving fire department and Tehachapi city police
responders found minor burn injuries on four spectators. Two of the
victims apparently left the scene. The other two suffered minor burns on
various parts of their body.

Spectator David Stauffer, there
with his wife and two young sons, had burn marks on his shirt and
superficial burns on his chest where the cloth had been burned away. He
was treated at the scene and said he was thankful his family who was
sitting with him were not also injured.

A few seats away Hayley
Bebee, who was sitting with her young child in her lap, suffered a burn
below her right eye. Paramedics treated her at the scene and advised her
to seek further medical assistance to be sure there was no damage to
the eye itself.

Last month, officials at
San Francisco International Airport hired a herd of part-time employees
to toil on the west side of the property and engage in an unusual - but
environmentally friendly - form of fire prevention.

Anyone looking down from a plane departing the airport may have wondered, what's with the goats?

For
two weeks in June, Mr. Fuzzy, Cookie, Mable, Alice and nearly 400 other
goats chomped on the brush in a remote corner of the airport. The area
needs to be cleared each spring to protect nearby homes from potential
fires. But machines or humans can't be used because two endangered
species - the San Francisco garter snake and the California red-legged
frog - live there.

It's not exactly the type of job you
advertise in the local classifieds. So, for the past five years
officials have turned to Goats R Us, a small brush-removal company run
by Terri Oyarzun, her husband Egon and their son Zephyr.

The airport paid $14,900 for the service this year.

The
goats travel 30 miles each spring from their home in Orinda, Calif. to
the airport in a 16-wheel truck that Oyarzun calls her "livestock limo."
They come with a goat herder and a border collie named Toddy Lynn. The
goats spend two weeks cutting away a 20-foot firebreak on the west side
of the airport.

"When passengers take off and fly over the goats, I'm sure that's a thrill," Oyarzun says.

Whatever
the emotion, it isn't reserved for air travelers. When Oyarzun's goats
aren't clearing brush at the airport, they're munching away on the side
of California's freeways, at state parks, under long-distance electric
lines and anywhere else with overgrown vegetation. The family has about
4,000 total active goats on its payroll.

Working at an airport does come with its own set of challenges, namely loud, frightening jets constantly taking off.

"There was an adjustment period," Oyarzun said. "But they have a lot of confidence in their herder."

The goats did their job. "We're pleased with our organic process for weed abatement," said airport spokesman Doug Yakel.

At
least one other airport has taken note. Chicago's O'Hare International
Airport has requested bids for goats to clear brush in an out of the way
area of the airport's 7,000-acre property and expects them to be at the
airport sometime this summer.

When goats become too old to
work, they are typically sold for meat. But fear not, Mr. Fuzzy, Cookie,
Mable and Alice won't end up at the slaughterhouse. The Oyarzun family
lets its goats peacefully retire at its farm.

This past Wednesday, YWN Monsey published an article about numerous reports being made to the Ramapo Police Department regarding a low flying jet in the area.

It turns out, that the aircraft belonged to the Federal Aviation Administration – despite the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration had initially told the Ramapo Police Department that they were “unaware of any jets with problems and were unable to identify the jet at that time”.

The following is a statement by the Federal Aviation Administration given to YWN a short while ago:

A Federal Aviation Administration Challenger CL 60 aircraft flew at low altitudes over Ramapo, New York between 8 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. Wednesday as part of a “flight check” of navigational aids and obstacles on the charted approach to Teterboro Airport. Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control was aware of the flight, but could not track the entire flight because the pilots had to fly below radar coverage at altitudes of 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet at several points during the flight to accomplish their mission.(YWN Monsey Newsroom)

Carson City’s Board of Supervisors seeks applicants to fill three of the seven positions on the Carson City Airport Authority.

The authority, which oversees matters pertaining to the capital city’s airport, meets the third Wednesday of every month at the Community Center. Authority members serve 10 to 16 hours a month in the volunteer role, according to a news release. Terms are for four years and will expire Oct. 1, 2017.

Applications for the three slots, which are in different categories, will be accepted until Aug. 30. Interviews are tentatively planned at the city governing board meeting Thursday, Sept. 5.

Slots available are for a fixed-base operator at the Carson City Airport, for a manufacturer, and for a citizen at large from Carson City who is neither a fixed-base operator nor a manufacturer.

The manufacturer must be from within a 3-mile radius of the airport, but cannot be a fixed-base operator there. If no eligible manufacturer representative applies, the city governing board might appoint another citizen member at large.

Applications may be obtained from and returned to the Carson City Executive Offices at City Hall, 201 N. Carson St., Unit 2. The release from city government noted that all applications submitted will be considered public information.

When Tim LoDolce ran the
Truckee air show in the early 1990s, he drove his golf cart around
during the event to make sure it was running smoothly.

He
remembers on many occasions he’d see families peeking at the planes on
the tarmac, the food vendors and children activities. LoDolce was
discouraged by what he saw and would approach them and offer free
tickets.

For whatever reason, many would decline.

“Humble pride, I guess,” LoDolce said.

After
the air show was canceled 17 years ago, it’s being brought back as a
real air show for the first time this weekend after hosting static
planes and flybys last year. And ...

The Truckee Tahoe Airport presents the AirFair and Family Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Classic
airplanes, some from World War I and World War II, will be swirling
through the air and more than 60 vendors will be on hand with 13 food
options. Special guests include Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who
famously landed a US Airways flight in the Hudson River just after
takeoff when the plane’s engines failed in 2009. All 155 passengers on
board survived.

The Grand Marshall is Clarence “Bud” Anderson, a Triple Ace World War II fighter pilot.The action

Technically,
last year was the first time in 15 years there had been an event at the
airport that revolved around planes. But according to LoDolce, it
wasn’t an official air show because there weren’t showcases of airplane
flight. This year, they filed Federal Aviation Administration paperwork
to host three aerobatic demonstrations, according to airport general
manager Kevin Smith.

One demonstration that is generating
excitement is aerobatic pilots Melissa Pemberton and her husband, Rex.
The wife will be flying the Edge 540 plane, doing barrel rolls and
leaving a smoke trail while the husband parachutes out of the plane
carrying a 1,000-square-foot American flag.

Pilot Bill Cornick will give a fast-flying show twice on Saturday as well as a P51 Man O’War flying demonstration.

“It’s very different from last year,” Smith said. “We’re expecting a great turnout.”Family focusedPart of what makes the AirFair a family event is the multitude of activities, organizers said.

For
history buffs, the collection of World War II planes will be scattered
around the tarmac along with the men and women who can relive their
history. There will be about 50 planes in all.

The food court,
LoDolce said, will have healthy food in addition to regular festival
food. The Kid Zone is a big part of the family festival side of the
event with toys and games for children to play including flight
simulators. There also will be face painting and men walking around on
stilts. Dogs on leashes are allowed.

There also will be a beer garden and a Lions Club breakfast at 8 a.m.

The opportunity to ride in a WWII plane is available, but the cost is about $1,000.Safety

LoDolce said that safety is a top concern, but urged people to understand this is an air show and not an air race.

In
2011, there was a crash at the Reno Air Races that killed 11 people.
LoDolce said the aerobatic pilots do barrel rolls away from the crowd so
that in case of a wreck, they should be nowhere near the crowd or
people.

Why so long?

The lapse in air events in Truckee is hard to pinpoint.

LoDolce
said the event in the ’90s ran smoothly, but it also lasted three days,
spanning Friday through Sunday. One of the reasons LoDolce made the
event just one day was because he believed the volunteers were
overworked.

New management at the airport, and a surplus in their
budget, guided the revival of the event. Airport administrators reached
out to LoDolce to restart it four years ago, but he was reluctant.

“It had to be free,” he said. “They came back and said, “Come back with a budget and make a presentation.’ ”

The event went on without a hitch last year but didn’t have plane demonstrations. This year, it does.

LoDolce
said taxpayers in Truckee and surrounding areas pay about $45 a year
for airport taxes, and this was a way to give back. With a budget of
about $115,000, LoDolce made the show happen.

After about 12,000 people showed up last year, he expects even better crowds this year. The event supports three nonprofits.

“It’s
an event aimed at the whole family,” LoDolce said. “There’s something
for the little guys and girls and something for the big guys and girls.”

Experimental aircraft drew a lot of attention at the 6th annual flight breakfast at the Estherville Municipal Airport.

The breakfast was sponsored by the Estherville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Terry
Osher of Wallingford flew in his Challenger which he bought in Spencer a
year ago. Osher has been flying ultralights for 14 years, but his
flying goes back much further. He got his pilot's license in 1971. His
father used to crop spray and Osher flagged fields and his dad would let
him fly the plane back.

Osher's Challenger comes complete with radio and intercom.

"It makes it just like you're flying a real aircraft," he said.

The
Challenger will cruise at 65 and with capacity of two hours fuel, it
has a range of 100 miles. Osher usually flies it at 500 feet but he's
had it up to 4,000.

Osher actually bought his first plane in 1968 when he was a senior in high school.

"I never got a new car in high school but I got a used airplane," he explained, saying he paid $3,200 for it.

He's also had a Cessna 172, T-Bird ultralight, Piper Pawnee spray plane, a two-cylinder T-Bird and two air coupes.

All in all, though, he says the Challenger is probably his favorite.

"It's not the fastest but it's fun."

Paul
Slaughter, manager of the Estherville Airport, was giving rides in his
Sea Rey made by Progressive Aerodyne. He and Gary Haney totally rebuilt
the aircraft, taking two years to do it.

The plane is set up as a flotation aircraft and cruises at about 90 with a four-hour range.

"This is not an airplane for going long distances," Slaughter explained.

The
plane has a 100-horsepower 912 cc engine and Slaughter typically
cruises at 5,200 RPM. Life jackets and a bilge pump are standard
equipment. Slaughter explained that the landing gear pivot up and the
tail wheel tucks up.

Sea Reys are found mainly in Florida as well as along the East Coast, eastern Great Lakes, Canada and West Coast.

"This
is the only one in Iowa though," Slaughter said, adding there are also
three in Minnesota, 25-30 in Australia and some in China, Europe and
probably one in South America.

Slaughter flies the plane and lands on High Lake, West Swan Lake and Tuttle Lake.

At
Thursday's flight breakfast, he was giving rides, including one to
Wesley Eide, 88, who seemed a lot more eager than nervous about getting a
ride and landing on the water.- See more at: http://www.esthervilledailynews.com

LAKE CLEAR - A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held here Monday to welcome the new
operators of the Adirondack Regional Airport's cafe.Sisters
Melissa and Tracey Uhlik were awarded a lease from the town of
Harrietstown, which runs the airport, in May. They actually opened the
Airport Cafe about a week ago."It was a soft opening, and the
people who knew about it came in," Melissa Uhlik said. "We made it
through our first few days, and we're doing great.""We're tired but excited," said Tracey Uhlik. "It's a combination of exhaustion and happiness.The
Uhliks said they've hired six people to help them run the cafe. Asked
to describe the menu, Melissa Uhlik said it will be all-American."Everything
from burgers and fries to Reubens, salads and healthy foods," she said.
"We're going to be starting off daily specials soon. We have great
deserts, and we're serving breakfast all day. We can also do take-out
for people who are flying in."The town canceled the contract of
the cafe's prior operator, Lisa Lawrence, in mid March. Town Supervisor
Bob Bevilacqua didn't say why at the time, other than "things weren't
working out real well." The business had been cited for health
violations, more than most other Saranac Lake area food services, but
town officials said that wasn't the reason why they canceled Lawrence's
contract.Airport Manager Corey Hurwitch said during Monday's ceremony that he's excited to have the cafe open again."The
cafe is critical to the airport," Hurwitch said, "not just to bring
some of the local community out to see what's going on at the airport,
but it also provides catering to some of our business jets and corporate
jets that are operating in and out of the airport. Additionally, it
gives pilots a reason to fly, some of the smaller single-engine crews
and aircraft operators. They're real excited to have the cafe open
again."The town spent roughly $15,000 renovating the cafe. The
work, most of which was done by town crews, included repairing and
replacing appliances and electric fixtures, replacing the flooring,
patching and painting the walls, and placing a new sign a the
intersection of the Airport Road and state Route 186.Hurwitch said the money for the renovations came from a fund terminal repairs account.The
Uhliks' lease requires them to pay the town $200 a month in rent in the
first year and $400 a month in the second year. Lawrence, who had run
the cafe since the fall of 2009, had paid the town roughly $400 a month.About
35 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including town
Supervisor Bob Bevilacqua and town board members, village of Saranac
Lake officials and state Assemblywoman Janet Duprey. The event was
organized by the airport and the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.Story and Photo: http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com

The four Arkansas
airports that saw the biggest rise in passenger boardings in 2011 had
one thing in common: government-subsidized air service offered through
SeaPort Airlines Inc.

Boone County Regional Airport in Harrison,
Memorial Field in Hot Springs, South Arkansas Regional Airport/Goodwin
Field in El Dorado and Jonesboro Municipal Airport saw a median increase
of 73 percent in boardings when compared with 2010. The figures for
2011 used to rank this year’s list of the state’s busiest airports are
the latest available from the Federal Aviation Administration.

SeaPort
is a scheduled commuter airline service headquartered in Portland, Ore.
SeaPort was founded in Juneau, Alaska, in 1982 as Wings of Alaska, a
name the company still does business under. Tim Siber, executive vice
president of SeaPort, said the company currently maintains a fleet of 16
passenger planes.

In 2011 SeaPort offered subsidized air service
to the four Arkansas airports through the federal Essential Air Service
program. EAS was created to ensure that smaller communities had access
to scheduled air service after the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act “gave
airlines almost total freedom to determine which markets to serve
domestically and what fares to charge for that service,” the U.S.
Department of Transportation says. The DOT says that $15.4 million in
EAS funds have been provided for Arkansas air service in the past two
years.

SeaPort began offering flights in Arkansas in October
2009, and today it operates in Harrison, El Dorado and Hot Springs.
SeaPort discontinued service to Jonesboro Municipal Airport near the end
of 2011, and the airport now receives government-subsidized air service
from Air Choice One Airlines of St. Louis.

Siber said SeaPort
was forced to discontinue service to Jonesboro because it was too close
to Memphis. He said that because the airline could offer only three
flights a day under the EAS program, potential passengers often chose to
drive 79 miles to the Memphis International Airport instead of waiting
for a SeaPort flight. While Jonesboro saw an 89 percent increase in
passenger boardings — from 522 in 2010 to 989 in 2011 — the numbers were
dangerously low as far as EAS funding is concerned.

The Federal
Aviation Administration & Modernization Act of 2012 required that,
beginning with the 2013 fiscal year in October 2012, communities less
than 175 driving miles from a medium- or large-hub airport must maintain
an average of 10 passenger boardings per service day to remain in the
EAS program. Because of the Jonesboro Municipal Airport’s proximity to
Memphis, its EAS funding would have been in jeopardy if the same
requirement had been in place in 2011.

Air Choice One announced
in August that ridership at Jonesboro Municipal Airport increased 300
percent in early 2012 compared with SeaPort’s numbers for the same
period in 2011. This increase, if sustained, suggests that the airport
will be significantly closer to meeting the 10-passenger average when
the stipulation goes into effect.

SeaPort Changes

Siber
said SeaPort is making changes to reduce costs at the three Arkansas
airports it still serves. He said the company has adopted “aggressive
pricing” in the form of discounted fares in an effort to increase
ridership, including a $39 flight from Hot Springs to Dallas. The
company is also shifting from the nine-passenger Pilatus PC-12 plane to
the similarly sized Cessna Caravan. The Caravan consumes less fuel and
is easier to maintain because parts are more readily available, Siber
said. A majority of the company’s fleet will be Caravans by the end of
the year, he added.

George Downie, the Memorial Field airport
director in Hot Springs, said he regrets seeing the Pilatus go. The
Pilatus is “just a great aircraft for our type of service,” Downie said.
He said that while SeaPort’s Caravans will be newer than the Pilatus
planes, they will not be as fast or as quiet.

SeaPort’s efforts
to reduce operating costs at Memorial Field are crucial because an EAS
rule dating back to 1994 requires that the subsidy per passenger at an
EAS-funded community cannot exceed $200 unless the community is more
than 210 highway miles from a medium- or large-hub airport. Downie said
Memorial Field, which is 197 miles from the Memphis airport, is being
“singled out” to reduce its subsidy per passenger, which was $310 in
2011.

Downie said the airport is working to promote SeaPort’s
flights in an attempt to reduce the subsidy per passenger. He said
Memorial Field saw an increase of 1,420 total passengers in 2012
compared with 2011, an increase he said was the result of “the city of
Hot Springs operating as a partner with SeaPort and trying to get the
citizens to use our local commuter service.”

The EAS program has a
number of opponents who think the government should not subsidize air
services. One opponent is Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonprofit
organization that describes itself as a “nonpartisan budget watchdog
that serves as an independent voice for American taxpayers.” In an April
post on the TCS website, the organization cited 2011 passenger boarding
statistics and pointed out that if the Jonesboro Municipal Airport
failed to increase its boarding average to 10 per service day, it would
not receive future subsidies. The post called Essential Air Service a
“wasteful and unnecessary program” that has “long outlived its intended
purpose and needs to be eliminated.”

Asked how he would respond to the EAS critics, Siber said, “They’re folks who probably don’t use it.”Some passengers, he said, rely on the service to travel for medical treatment and business.

The town of Taos was
dealt a blow June 26 when District Court Judge Jeff McElroy ruled
lawsuits filed in opposition to the town’s annexation of the Taos
Regional Airport could proceed.

The Town Council voted to annex
the airport, which is owned and operated by the town, along with a
“shoestring” along six miles of Highway 64 right of way in order to make
the property contiguous as required by state statute. The town hopes to
collect tax revenue from airport businesses and use it to fund its 5
percent matching portion of a $24 million runway project.The
annexation was soon challenged by Taos County, El Prado Water and
Sanitation District and the Acequia Madre del Prado del Río Lucero,
which filed lawsuits challenging the town’s action. The suits allege the
town violated the appellants’ right to due process and that the town
failed to go through the proper steps to annex.

All three parties are being represented by county attorney Robert Malone.

The June 26 hearing was held to decide whether the cases should be dismissed, as the town requested.

At
the hearing, town attorney Brian James started by describing the
27-year-long process it took to get to this point on the runway project
and the economic benefits a crosswind runway would bring to the area, as
well as why the town approached the annexation the way it did. Malone
later described James’ statements as an “obvious attempt to prejudice
the court.”

James urged the court to respect the separation of
powers and allow the legislative act of annexation to proceed despite
the county’s “beefs, complaints and nitpicking about the process.” He
argued none of the parties have standing to sue over the annexation as
none “own a shred of property in the right of way.”

The town did receive permission from the state Department of Transportation before it took action to annex.

James
also argued that some challenges made in the suits (writs of quo
warrant and mandamus) should be applied solely to administrative, rather
than legislative, actions. McElroy agreed with James on that point, but
he found that the parties do have standing to challenge the annexation.
He said the court must show deference to the municipality’s decision,
and going forward the court will only look at whether the statute used
to annex is constitutional and whether the statute was properly applied.

McElroy
said the facts of the case are not in substantial dispute and asked
Malone and James to get together to come up with a set of stipulated
facts the court can use to come to a decision.

James wondered whether the case could be expedited so the airport expansion project is not put in jeopardy.

McElroy said he understands the need to handle it quickly.

“This is the top priority of the court,” he said.

Following
McElroy’s ruling allowing the suits to move forward, James said he saw
the loss of the administrative route as “extremely important” and said
the ruling substantially narrows the focus of the cases.

“I’m very encouraged by that,” he said.

County
Commissioner Dan Barrone said he was pleased with the ruling, as did
county manager Stephen Archuleta. He said the county does not oppose the
airport and is only against the annexation, and wants to work with the
town.

Soon after the hearing, the town issued a release saying the annexation is “on solid ground.”

Police Scotland was today
condemned for its “baffling” decision to axe the use of civilian
volunteer pilots who have been providing the Sky Watch service in
missing people searches and other potentially life saving operations
across the country.

The volunteer pilots of the UK Civil Air
Patrol (UKCAP) - also known as Sky Watch - have been providing aerial
support to the emergency services since being originally formed in
Yorkshire in 2000.

Scotland has two operational units, the
Highland Civil Air Patrol with aircraft based at Inverness, Kirkwall,
Lossiemouth, Peterhead and Plockton, and the Lowland Unit which is
centred on Perth airfield but also has aircraft operating from Leuchars,
Fife, Kingsmuir and East Fortune airfields.

But the civilian
volunteers have now been told that their services are no longer required
by the new national police force in Scotland as the air support unit
previously operated by the Strathclyde force is now available
nationwide.

Bernard Higgins, the Assistant Chief Constable of
Police Scotland said: “The UK Civil Air Patrol ‘Skywatch’ is a volunteer
programme and not a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week national resource.

“Since
the start of Police Scotland, the Air Support Unit has become a
Scotland-wide resource with specially-trained officers using state of
the art equipment which is available to assist in a variety of
operations, including searching for missing people in remote areas
across Scotland in a co-ordinated and operationally managed way. Police
Scotland has considered all options available to them, and has come to
the unavoidable conclusion that it should cease using the volunteer UK
Civil Air Patrol.”“Baffled”

A spokesman for the
Scottish arm of the UK Civil Air Patrol (UKAP) said in a statement that
the volunteers had been left completely baffled by the decision.

He
said: “Police Scotland has recently announced that it will no longer
request the assets of the UK Civil Air Patrol in any capacity. This, we
believe, is due in principal to an erroneous interpretation of the UK
Air navigation Order.” The Order regulates aviation within the UK and
governs the use of aircraft involved on any flight in the service of a
police authority.

The spokesman said: “The UKCAP has been well
aware of this legislation since its inception. It has always been at
pains to completely exclude itself from falling into any category that
could possibly be interpreted as being ‘in the service of a police
authority’. The UKCAP is not paid by Police Scotland, neither does the
UKCAP have any contract with Police Scotland, neither does the UKCAP
have any obligations of any kind towards PS, neither do PS have any
obligations towards the UKCAP. All flights are entirely private and
under the sole control of the pilot.”

He continued: “UKCAP exists
to primarily support the community and not the police. UKCAP is
therefore no more ’in the service of a police authority’ than are any
other independent members of the public who may be casually requested to
search their gardens or outbuildings and generally keep and eye out for
a missing person – a situation that is fairly common.”

And he
claimed: “It is the community that may suffer as a direct result this
baffling misinterpretation and we must all hope that alternative means
of activation will continue to occur, such as a request for UKCAP
assistance direct from the relatives of missing persons or as part of UK
Search and Rescue, to which the UKCAP remains declared. “

The
spokesman continued: “ It should also be noted that other police forces
do not share the Police Scotland (PS) view and neither did the separate
Scottish regional forces prior to the merger. UKCAP are patiently
engaging in a process to reverse this move by PS which is responsible
for an area in which every possible search asset is vital and over which
one single police helicopter cannot possibly provide adequate cover.
UKCAP would hope that the public will help by questioning this new
policy of exclusion and voice support for its reversal. “

SamaritansWillie
Rennie, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, also condemned
the decision to axe the service provided the band of “Good Samaritans.”

He
said: “I know that my local police service worked closely with Sky
Watch before the creation of a single force and they had a number of
successes. The fact that policing is now being controlled from Edinburgh
does not change the fact that these volunteers have a genuine
contribution to make across Scotland. This is a valuable resource that
does not cost the taxpayer a penny.

“If there are compelling
operational reasons for this decision then we need to hear them. But on
the face of it, Police Scotland’s decision to cut links with these Good
Samaritans is difficult to comprehend.”

The civilian volunteers
of Sky Watch provide aircraft for air searches and eye in the sky cover
at major events. A spokesman said: “Missing persons, vehicles,
equipment, boats, livestock, downed aircraft have all been located from
the air by the UKCAP.

“Aircraft are particularly useful for
searching rivers and river banks, reed beds, moorland, scrubland,
railway lines, ravines, loch and field margins, open undulating spaces -
all of which are very time and manpower consuming to search from the
ground. As well as a great deal of effort and cost, huge amounts of time
can be saved. Time is nearly always a critical factor in the survival
of missing persons.”Source: http://www.scotsman.com

Sydney - Australian
police said Friday they had restrained a man as he tried to break into
the cockpit of a commercial Qantas flight en route to the Philippines.

The
33-year-old was detained by Australian Federal Police (AFP) air
security officers on the Sydney to Manila journey Thursday after he
allegedly attempted to access the cockpit some two and a half hours into
the eight-hour flight.

Police said the man had been abusive
towards flight crew before he ran to the front of the aircraft and
attempted to open the cockpit door.

He was restrained by air security officers.

Qantas
confirmed there had been a "disruptive passenger" onboard flight QF19
from Sydney to Manila, adding that the safety of the aircraft was never
compromised and the plane landed safely in the Philippines capital.

"Distracting
the pilots of a commercial aircraft carrying approximately 400
passengers and flying at an altitude of 10 000 metres is a very real
threat to the safe operation of that aircraft," AFP National Manager of
Aviation, Assistant Commissioner Shane Connelly said in a statement.

"If the cockpit had been breached, the consequences could have been disastrous.

"Such
behavior on flights involving an Australian destination or origin
cannot -- and will not -- be tolerated by airlines and the Australian
Federal Police."

Police said the aircraft was not endangered
during the incident and the passenger involved was handed to Philippines
authorities.

Air security officers fly on selected domestic and international flights to ensure the safety of travelers.

The owner of Perranporth Airfield is seeking planning permission to extend the facilities to make room for his private jet.
Last year Cornwall Council rejected an application to extend a hangar because of concerns regarding noise.

Now
the owner has resubmitted the application to extend the hangar 25m by
22m, with a height of 4.9m, to house a Cessna Citation Mustang jet.

The
334-acre clifftop site is on the market for £1.49 million by owner John
George, who founded mobile phone giant JAG Communications.

It is operated by Perranporth Flying Club Limited, which holds the Civil Aviation Authority license.

Eighteen local residents wrote to the council objecting to the proposals, along with St Agnes and Perranzabuloe parish councils.

Residents
said they fear the additional storage would lead to increased use of
the airfield, where, they claimed, the level of flying is already
"beyond distressing", and increased noise, traffic and aircraft
movements.

Some claimed the airfield's "creeping expansion" would
have a negative impact on local tourism and that the hangar would be an
"eyesore" visible from a coastal path.

Cornwall Council's planners said they are recommending approval, and that previous noise concerns have been addressed.

In
a report to members of the area planning committee, which is due to
consider the application on Monday, planners said: "The planning
authority having assessed these revised details considers that the
previous uncertainty regarding the potential noise increases that may be
generated by the additional hangar storage has been adequately
addressed and raise no objections to the current proposal on noise
grounds."

A noise report by Applied Acoustic Design (AAD) claimed
any change in aircraft movements would have a negligible impact on
residents because of noise.

Technology can inspire us to make new things -- even if we don't have
official training. You might not want to work with a self-taught
plumber, though self-taught coders build impressive websites all the
time. So what about a self-taught airplane builder?

In Kenya, a growing group of amateur aviation enthusiasts are
building homemade flying machines out of everything from junk metal to
old car engines.

Jonathan Kalan, who has been reporting on these projects for the BBC, joins Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson with the details.

MARTINSBURG - While it is
always difficult to expand or attract air service, Susan V. Chernenko,
executive director of the West Virginia Aeronautics Commission, is
always working at it.

"I'm always looking for an opportunity to
talk about expanding existing air service in West Virginia and to try to
attract new air service," she said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "I
have an opportunity to meet with airlines and I've been doing this for
many years on a daily basis. It's very competitive."

One of those
opportunities could be an intrastate commercial air service between
Charleston's Yeager Airport and Martinsburg's Shepherd Field at the
Eastern Regional Airport.

Chernenko recently had discussions with a commercial airline and Martinsburg was mentioned, she said.

"But
I have no good news or update," Chernenko said. "Because of
Martinsburg's location - it's so close to D.C. - and the length of its
runway, and it doesn't have service, airlines should look at
Martinsburg."

She said there could be an opportunity in the future to attract commuter or charter service to Martinsburg.

"The airport in Martinsburg is an asset to the community and the state," Chernenko said. "Maybe we'll get lucky."

Aero-Smith Inc. operates a charter service at Eastern Regional Airport, flying an eight-passenger, two-engine King Air 200.

Five
airlines serve Yeager Airport, including American Airlines; United,
which has flights to Dulles International Airport; Delta; Spirit
Airlines; and U.S. Airways Express, which has flights to Reagan National
Airport.

Six other West Virginia airports offer scheduled
commercial air service: Morgantown; North Central West Virginia Airport
in Bridgeport; Tri-State Airport in Huntington; Raleigh County Memorial
Airport near Beckley; Wood County Airport near Parkersburg; and the
Greenbrier Valley Airport at Lewisburg.

Hagerstown Regional
Airport is home to two commercial airlines: Sun Air International, which
has daily flights to Dulles International Airport, and Allegiant Air,
which flies to Orlando, Fla.Story and Comments/Reaction: http://www.journal-news.net

All passengers and crew members on board are safe and there is no significant damage to the aircraft, an airline official said.

An Air India plane with
140 people on board on Friday skidded off the runway shortly after
landing at Bagdogra airport in Darjeeling district, airport sources
said.

All passengers and crew members on board are safe and there is no significant damage to the aircraft, an airline official said.

The
Delhi-Bagdogra flight 880 landed at 2.15 pm but while taking a turn
during taxiing one of its rear wheels veered off the tarmac and was
stuck in the soft mud in a field beside the runway, the sources said.

The passengers and crew members have alighted but the plane is still stuck there.

However, normal traffic was not affected due to the incident, the sources said.

The Columbia Regional
Airport Advisory Board met Wednesday afternoon in the north terminal
conference room to discuss ongoing projects and the new location of
future meetings.

The airport manager Don Elliot reviewed two
airport projects which are almost complete. The new taxi pavement
project will be completed in the next few days after inspection and the
new fencing around the runways will be completed in September.

Elliot
also brought up the plan for a new project on the 1331 runway. The
project idea is to lengthen the runway and pave it with material that
can hold more weight. This project will help the airport to bring in
more jets since the runway will now be able to hold the weight.

“What
we are planning to do in the future is have a longer concrete runways
that will be wider, it will be able to handle the weights of the
regional jets,” said Elliot.

The project is still in the planning
stage but the board hopes to have a plan within the next year. Elliot
said he hopes the overall project will be completed in about five years.

Along
with airport plans, the board had to discuss a possible new meeting
location for these public discussions since the current room is not in
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“The city of
course is very particular about ADA compliancy, we want to be to be in
full compliance and so we advised the airport advisory board that they
needed to look for a new meeting spot,” said Columbia Public Works
spokesperson Steven Sapp.

A previous complaint from a Missouri
resident brought this inadequate meeting area to the city’s attention.
The board is now making an effort to find a new meeting location that is
ADA approved.

Some locations that were mentioned in this meeting
were the city hall board rooms, the Boone County Bank, and Sophia’s.
Next month’s meeting will still be held in the north terminal conference
room again where they will further discuss a permanent and adequate
meeting room for the future.Source: http://kbia.org

The
Kenai residents live on Float Plane Road at the edge of the Kenai
Municipal Airport, and the Federal Aviation Administration mandates that
the city limb or remove almost 2,000 trees obstructing the airport’s
runway.

“Right now we’re in limbo, because we don’t know what’s
going on with the tree removal,” Les said at Wednesday’s Kenai city
council meeting.

Trees in the Bradley’s and 13 other privately
owned properties are obstructing the runway’s flight path, said Mary
Bondurant, airport manager. Kenai has avigation easements on eight of
the properties, but the city will need to work with the remaining
property owners before it can cut their trees, she said.

“Ideally all the runway protection zones, the property around that area should be owned by the airport,” she said.

Bondurant
acknowledges that the project is sensitive, but the city can set no
date for tree cutting on those private properties yet, she said.

The
majority of the 1,992 trees, however, sit on city and airport owned
property, she said. And at Wednesday’s meeting, council awarded a
contract to Gage Tree Service to trim or fell obstructing trees. The
contractor estimates the project cost at $340,800. The project will
begin after July 15 and end by Sept. 30.

FAA requires the airport
maintain a 40-to-one departure surface. Any trees protruding into the
zone must be trimmed five to 10 feet.

The project targets 1,213
trees for removal and 779 trees for partial cutting on city and airport
land. It will also clear cut and seed 7.5 acres in the airport’s
fencing.

The Bradleys were concerned about the buffer strip of
trees separating Float Plane Road and the airport. The contractor will
trim the tops of the trees parallel to Float Plane Road and city lots
123 173 and 174, and the city will plant lower-growing trees to maintain
the buffer before the topped trees are finally removed, according to
project documents.Source: http://peninsulaclarion.com

YARNELL - One of the most
visible elements of wildland firefighting is air support, and while the
big air tankers work out of airports, helicopters can be based just
about anywhere they can land.

At the Yarnell helibase, a large,
flat field, helicopters stand by, awaiting calls to service. Thursday,
four were in place: two firefighting helicopters from California and
Montana; one multi-role aircraft from Minnesota that, so far, has been
used for reconnaissance on this fire, and the Department of Public
Safety's Ranger 52, standing by for emergency medical evacuations.

Dumping
water on a fire is not easy, noted pilot Art Sanford. "Movement of the
wind, going from a headwind to a tailwind when we have a heavy load,"
can be treacherous. "Helicopters are designed to fly into the wind... a
strong wind can really complicate issues," he said.

"If the wind
was 20 miles an hour but it gusts to 35, that would make it hard for a
helicopter with a bucket," Mike Pelletier from the Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources said.

A pilot since 1969, Sanford is from
Minnesota and most recently worked a fire in Utah with his crew of
firefighters. He said that, in the hot weather and high altitude of
Arizona's mountains, carrying the heavy load of water in their "bass
bucket" is a challenge. "You do things slower, you try to plan ahead
more, and you try to plan your maneuvers so that you don't get to the
point that, all of a sudden, you need to pull a lot of power - because
you may not have it," he said.

"About 80 gallons would be a maximum water load in the heat of the day," Sanford added.

Sanford's
crew can dump water, deliver cargo by net where there's no room to
land, hauling people to the scene, or take the incident command staff up
for a look at the fire, Pelletier said.

One aircrew that's happy
not to be needed is the Ranger 52 crew. Their job is to airlift out
injured firefighters, which they have not yet had to do.

The
pilot and two medics are standing by, waiting for a call they hope will
not come. If it does, Officer/Paramedic Darren Winters, the crew has
experience in emergency extraction, from one-skid landings on rock faces
to long-line rescues where there's no room to land at all.

A proposed change to
Okaloosa County’s land development code would prohibit private or
residential airports from operating on the waterfront.

The policy
change also would restrict private airports to one of three zoning
areas: agricultural, institutional or airport industrial park.

County
commissioners held the first of two public hearings on the change
Tuesday. The second hearing is scheduled for July 16 in Fort Walton
Beach.

Commissioners asked the county staff to review regulations
governing aircraft-related businesses and private airports after
helicopter sightseeing businesses and aircraft congestion in general
increased in the past two years.

“The only way that the county
can regulate anything to do with airplanes is through zoning,” said
Terry Jernigan, the county’s planning and zoning manager. “The
regulation of airplanes once they leave the ground is totally pre-empted
to the federal government.”

The growth management department
used information from a study conducted by RS&H, the county’s
airport consultant, to help craft the proposed policy change.

The
study concluded that “the airspace that lies above Okaloosa County is
among the busiest and most complex in the country,” the study said.

A
major concern cited in the RS&H study was that “private takeoff and
landing facilities” could create operational conflicts. RS&H
recommended the county “use existing regulatory framework to establish
sitting standards for private aviation facilities.”

“This went beyond sightseeing helicopters and into aviation and airplane congestion in general,” Jernigan said.

The main purpose behind the proposed change is to make local airspace safer, he said.

“It’s
kind of a reasonable assumption that aircraft should operate from
airports,” he said. “If you’re going to have a private airport, then
there should be certain parameters … that you’re not going to be
creating a lot of noise and nuisance for the people that are around
you.”

Under the policy change, all existing private airports
would be grandfathered in. In addition, crop dusters and government
aircraft, including medical and law enforcement helicopters, would be
exempt.

“If a new private airport comes in or if there’s an
existing one that wants to relocate, the new regulations would apply,”
Jernigan said.

Justin Johnson, who operates Timberview
Helicopters from various waterfront locations, including Crab Island and
Destin Harbor, doesn’t agree with the proposal.

“I don’t see how they can take jurisdictional control over the water,” Johnson said. “Zoning is for land development.”

He said he operates his business from a barge that floats and changes location, and expects to be grandfathered in.

But
Jernigan said a business would have to remain at the location it’s in
on the day the new policy is enacted to be grandfathered in.

Johnson said he operates a safe business and feels like his helicopter tours are being singled out.

“They’re
obviously targeting our company,” he said. “We’ve already been approved
and looked at by the all the agencies … the FAA, the Coast Guard.”Source: http://www.nwfdailynews.com

TOWNSEND — “Young
Eagles” took to the skies Thursday at the Fourth of July Fiesta Fly-in
& Breakfast at the Townsend Airport.Some soared.Others were queasy.Organized by Neil and Tracy Salmi, the ninth annual fly-in drew 57 airplanes from across the state and country.“We sold 200 breakfasts,” said Neil of the crowd turning out for the event.Besides
offering a hearty breakfast, the highlight is free airplane rides for
kids. They’re sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association, which
seeks to introduce more youth to flying.By noon, 42 Young Eagles had taken flight — as passengers that is.“It
was fun,” said 10-year Shelby Gunther of Bozeman, who had just taken
her first flight in a small Cessna 172 with Helena pilot Lance Seaman.
“There were a lot of (air) pockets. It made me feel queasy.”Madison Suttorp, 9, of Thompson Falls, agreed. “It made me queasy, but I thought it was fun.”“I thought it was really fun,” said 11-year-old Lexi Cornforth of Bozeman. “I would love to do it again.”Meanwhile,
1-year-old George Rodewald of Missoula was a bit too young to be an
eagle, but he looked ready to fledge from the nest of his father’s arms.“He’s fascinated,” said his father, Dan. Every time a plane took off, George’s eyes tracked the plane.“I
love planes,” said Dan. The family was in town for the Fourth of July
to visit relatives. “We had no idea this was going on,” but they
couldn’t resist stopping by once they knew.Roger White, who farms 5,000 acres of wheat north of Great Falls, flew in for breakfast in his Seneca II.He just needed a break from farming, he said. “This is my second time down for the fly-in.”Socializing
with other pilots and admiring the array of aircraft suited him fine.
Nearby a brilliant blue and yellow BT 13 (bombing trainer) from the
1940s bounced down the runway, launching into the clouds. A few minutes
later a flashy silver and red Cessna 195 followed.“It’s
a good gathering of people,” said certified flight instructor Barrett
Farrell of Bozeman, who flew in for his first Fiesta Fly-in in Townsend.“I
think it’s got great value,” he said. “It gets the aviation community
all together. Events like this are getting more sparse because of the
cost of fuel.“Just make sure it happens again next year,” he said.Also
planning to return next year are Glenn and Gwen Mathis, who flew in
from Orange, Texas, in their Rans S19 Venterra. Glenn built the plane
from a kit, which took him about three years.“We
flew 1,342 miles each way to go to a fly-in for breakfast,” joked Glenn
with a smile, admitting they’d been spending almost two weeks exploring
Montana and Idaho. “It’s been a blast.”“This is our first trip to Montana — we love it here,” said Gwen. “We’re already planning a trip back next year.”Story and Photos: http://helenair.com